"The Asia-Pacific region is recognized for its important fisheries’ habitats and abundance of aquatic resources; allowing the capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors to provide vital livelihoods and food security throughout the region. However, the resources and the sustainability of the fisheries are being threatened by inadequate, unsustainable fisheries and aquaculture management, high fishing pressures, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), improper pesticides and feed use, and competition with other users of the coasts and aquatic resources and zones; leading to a state of overfishing and degradation of habitats and water quality and other negative impacts to ecosystem services. Although sharing stocks of important commercial species countries are struggling to manage resources and transboundary stocks through urgently required collaborative fisheries management planning. In addition, because of their location and type of livelihoods, fishers, fish farmers and coastal communities are directly affected by the lack of uncertainty, changes in species and their distributions, impacts on production and post-harvest practices, sea level rise, coastal erosion and other natural hazards exacerbated by climate change, such as toxic algal blooms, floods, strong wave surges and cyclones that destroy infrastructure and make the act of fishing and fish farming more dangerous. Through its extensive portfolio of TCP, UTF, GCP (bilateral and GEF) and the Blue Growth initiative, the FAO supports and promotes the responsible and sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture as guided by the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Our proven and successful work ranges from the development and implementation of International Plans of Actions on IUU, fishing capacity, sharks, and seabirds; the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and Aquaculture; efficient and safe post-harvest practices; all the way through to responsible trade and marketing of fish products. The FAO fosters and supports the work of regional fisheries bodies, such as the FAO Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission. The FAO also plays a key role in the development of recent global fisheries instruments, such as the binding FAO Port State Measures Agreement and the Voluntary Guidelines in support of Small Scale Fisheries. New, GEF 7 projects are able to build upon existing development strategies (DoF, etc) and efforts of a range of partners, including but not limited to: Regional Bodies: FAO Asia-Pacific Fisheries Commission (APFIC), Bay of Bengal-IGO, The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Mekong River Commission (MRC), Pacific Community (SPC), Secretariat of the Pacific (SPC), Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), RPOA-IUU, Regional Seas Programmes (COBSEA/PEMSEA) Private Sector including CP, Thai Union, Mars, MSC and ASC..."